JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As a powerful storm swept across the Deep South moving high winds and rain, there have been scattered reports of damage and power outages around Northeast Florida on Thursday evening.
The threatening storms triggered a Weather Authority Alert Day on Thursday, which began at 5 p.m. News4Jax meteorologists are providing updates at least once per hour on-air and online until the bad weather passes, which is expected to happen early Friday morning.
In Baker County, a News4Jax viewer took photos from outside the Blown Away Salon in Macclenny where strong winds snapped the trunk of a tree.
Winds also appear to be responsible for tearing off part of the roof at the Lady Bug Consignment Shop on Railroad Avenue, also in Baker County.
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Power outages were also been reported throughout the area. You can check the outage map in the provided links:
JEA | FPL | Clay Electric
Video was also shared from viewers in Clay County as heavy rains and lightning came through Orange Park. Wind gusts were recorded as high as 70 mph.
There were also some intense moments caught on camera in Yulee. In the following video, you can see just how powerful the downpour was.
And in Jacksonville, another video shows the high winds whip through a neighborhood.
More than 172,000 homes and businesses were without power across the South, according to poweroutage.us, and the rain was forecast to continue into Friday across much of the region.
RELATED: Trees, power lines topple as storm blows through Georgia
High winds, rains and floods have been blamed for the deaths of at least four people and the injuries of several more across a dozen states.
The storm front destroyed mobile homes in Mississippi and Alabama, caused mudslides in Tennessee and Kentucky and flooded communities that shoulder waterways across the Appalachian region.
Elsewhere in Florida, high winds prompted the closure of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge spanning Tampa Bay, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Tornado watches were in effect Thursday evening from northern Florida up through North Carolina.